As unrest unfolds in the Middle East, a traveling art exhibition at the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln seems all the more relevant in its message.
Thirteen female artists make up the exhibit Women Call for Peace: Global Vistas. Housed at the Sheldon Art Museum in Lincoln, the traveling exhibit from ExhibitsUSA and the Mid-America Arts Alliance showcases a woman's take on violence at home and abroad. It's a visual plea for peace.
Sharon Kennedy, curator of Cultural and Civic Engagement at the Sheldon Art Museum, said the inspiration for their work is deeply personal.
Lebanon-born artist Helen Zughaib's “Prayers for Peace” will be on display.
“Some of these women have actually been … witnesses and have been deeply affected by violence,” Kennedy said, and “are responding as women.”
They are “taking the lead,” Kennedy said, “towards peace.”
According to ExhibitUSA's website, “Women are rarely the perpetrators of violence yet they suffer its devastating impact and share responsibility for ending violent human conflict.”
Just as their experiences are varied, Kennedy said the art of the women featured in the exhibit, which runs through Jan. 13, is also varied in media. Kennedy said pieces in the exhibit range from sculpture to mixed media. The women artists also range in religion and ethnic heritages. Some have seen war along with religious conflict.
“The representation of artists,” said Kennedy, “there are black, white, Asian and Christian, Muslim and Jewish.”
“Because of its diversity, it's certainly timely in our global world, and in many of our global issues today.”
